Baseball game device



Aug; 20, 1963 G. A. SCHULZ 3,101,197

, BASEBALL GAME DEVICE Filed Aug. 50, 1961 s Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvaN-ro GEORGE A- scHu| z ATTORNEYS Aug. 20, 1963 0. A. scHuLz BASEBAL GAME DEVICE v IS ShecS-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 50, 19 61 Aug. 20,1963 G. A. SCHULZ BASEBALL GAME DEVICE 3 Sheets-Shed s Filed Aug. 30, 1961 33 FIG.] I

//0. Flcs o 3,101,197 BASEBALL GAME DEVICE George A. Schulz, 881 West Blvd, Hartford 5, Conn. Filed Aug. 30, 1961, er. No. 135,037

25 Claims. (Cl. 2'73--89) This invention relates to a mechanical game apparatus adapted for manipulation by opposing players, and deals more particularly with an apparatus generally in the form of a game board including manually movable members for simulating the game of baseball. I

' livery.

I 3,101,197 Patented Aug. 20, 1963 Q 2 which the guides may be moved to control the ball de- FIG. 12 is a vertical sectional view taken alongthe line 1212 of FIG. 7. I

The general object of this invention is to provide a mechanical baseball game device wherein the success. of a player in playing the game is dependent largely on his skill, and is not merely a mattcrof chance, thereby making the game an interwting and challenging one to play. A more particular object of this invention is to provide a mechanical baseball game device wherein the player representing the. pitcher and the player representingthe batter. both are provided with movable controls whereby they may respectivelyvary the pitch of the ball and the swing of the bat in various different manners in an effort to outplay the opponent.

Another object of thisinvention is o provide'a mechanical' baseball game device including a novel ball pitching device whereby the player representing the pitcher may vary the delivery of the ball and cause it to pass at different speeds either high or low over the' batting area and to the right or the left from a normal delivery.

Another object of this inventionis to provide a mechanical baseball gameincluding a novel bat swinging mechanism whereby the player representing the batter may vary the height of the bat and the timing and speed of the swing in an effort to meet the pitchers delivery.

Other objects and advantages of.this invention .will'b'e apparent from the drawings and from the description which follows.

The drawings show preferred embodiments of the inlvention and such embodiments will be described, but .it

will be understood that various changes may be made an upwardly facing playing surface.

: FIG. 13 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along substantially the same line as FIG. 7, but showing an alternative form of ball pitching mechanism.

. FIG. vl4- is a vertical sectional view taken along the line 1 4 14 of FIG. 13.

GENERAL ORGANIZATION AND USE OF BASEBALL :GAME DEVICE The general organization of a baseball game device embodying the present invention is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to these figures it will benoted that the device includes a generally horizontal panel 20 having The panel 20 is generally rectangular in shape, except for having one corner cut offaslshow'n in FIG. 1, and is surrounded by vertical side pieces. 22, 22', 23, 23 and 24. As shown best in FIGS. 2' and 7, the side pieces extend vertically beyond the upper surface .of the panel 20 so as to form a fence around the playing surface. The side members "also extend belowpthe' panel 20v and a bottom member 26 is secured in placewith respect thereto by suitable means so as to form-a space between the panel 2t) and the bottom member 26 which space contains various parts of the operating mechanism associated with the game device.

I The bottom member 26 is also arranged to slope downwardly toward the rear end of the device, or toward the left as viewedin FIG. 7, so as to return balls dropping from the constructions disclosed, and that the'drawings and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of theinvention, the claims forming a part'of this specification being relied upon for that purpose. I I

-' Of the drawings: Y

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a baseball game device embody-ing the present invention. 7 FIG. 2 is an end elevational view of the -game device of FIG. 1, the view being taken looking toward the rear end of the device and which appears at the bottom of FIG. 1. p

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of the game device of FIG. 1 with various portions thereof being shown broken away to reveal other parts.

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3 and showing the construction of one of the man-on-base indicators. 7

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 3 and showingthe bat swinging mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 5 and showing further details of the bat swinging mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 7--7 of FIG. 1 and showing the'construction of the ball pitching mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7 and showing further details of the ball pitching mechanism.

FIGS. 9, l0 and 11 are fragmentary plan views of the ball guides and are illustrative of the various manners indevice. I

through openings in the panel 29' to the rear end of the Drawn on the upper surface of the panel 20 are two foul lines '28, 28' and other markings representing generally the layout'of a baseball diamond. Adjacent the home plate'area is, a batting mechanism, indicated generally at 30, operated by one player. for striking at balls delivered over the home plate. area by the "opposing player.

The batting mechanism 301s operated by a crank handle 32 which controls the swing of the batting mechanism and a lever 34 which controls the height of thebat member.

Balls are delivered to thebatting mechanism and across the 'home platearea by means of -a pitching mechanism which includes an inclined chute 36 and-a pair of adjustable guides 38, 38. The guides 38, '38 are located at the lower end of the chute, 36 and in effect form a continua- -tion thereof. By m'anipulating a pair of control levers 40,

40 the player representing the pitcher is able to adjust the guides 38, 38 so that a ball passing therefrom may be varied in speed'and can be aimed'high 'or low and inside or outside with respect to the'horne plate area.

Behind the batting mechanism 30 is a member 42 having 'a strike zone window 44 formed therein, as best shown in FIG. 7. Balls which pass through the window 44- are considered strikes, while those missing the. window are considered balls. The window .44 is preferably backed up by a small cloth curtain 46, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, and those balls which do enter the window are conducted below the panel 20 to the bottom member 26 by way of a passageway 4-7 so as to avoid interference with the parts of the batting mechanism located below the panel 20. Due to-its slight incline, the bottom member 26 causes theballs to roll back to the rear endpf the game device to the vicinity of an opening 48 formed in ,the side piece 24, as shown best in FIG. 2. The player representing the pitcher may then retrieve the balls from the opening 48.

Behind the batting area the side pieces 22, 22 are fitted with'two additional pieces 50, 50 which serve as an extra barrier or fence to prevent the escapeof foul balls.v Also attached to one of the side pieces 23 is a scoreboard 52 which preferably includes an indicator for indicating the number of outs and a marking area for tabulating the number of runs scored in each inning by each side.

Preferably, the two fence pieces 50, 50, thescoreboard.

52 and the pitching chute 36 are removable from the other parts of the device in order to provide for more convenient end of the device adjacent the opening 48. In the outfield area are three larger openings '56, 56 through which balls may pass to the bottom member 26.

Means are also provided for indicating the position of base runners. This means in the present case constitutes three man-on-base indicators 58, 58 located at the first, second and third base positions. The indicators 58, 58 are received in corresponding openings in the panel 20, and are movable between raised and lowered positions by three handles 6%, 6t). Raising an indicator 58 indicates a man on the associated base.

The game played by using the illustrated device is played in a manner similar to actual baseball. One player operates the batting mechanism 30' by manipulating the crank 32 and the lever 34. The other player operates the pitching mechanism by rolling balls down the chute 36 and operating the 'ccn-trollevers 4t}, 40. That is, a ball is pitched by allowing it to roll down the inclined chute and over the guides 38, 38. By using the control levers 40, 4b to adjust the guides the pitcher can aim the ball so as to pass high or low and inside or outside over the home plate area. He can also vary the speed of the ball by adjustment of the guides or by starting the ball from different positions along the chute 36.

The pitched ball must enter the strike zone defined by the window 44 in order to be called a strike. If it does not enter this window after passing the batting mechanism, the pitch is a ball, whether the batting mechanism is swung or not. A foul or foul tip is considered as a strike. Three strikes on any batter constitutes an out; Other outs are registered by a ball driven into :any one of the four infield pockets 54, 54 and by'a ball driven on the fly into any one of the three outfield openings 56, 56. With a man on base and in position to be forced, any drive into any one of the infield pockets constitutes a double play with the base runner furthest advanced and the batter being the players declared out.

Hits are registered as follows: Any fair ball knocked over the fence provided by'the side pieces 23, 23 and 24 or against the score-board 52 is a home run. Any ball driven against the centerfield fence provided by the side piece 24 is a'triple. Any ball hit over the outfield openings 56, 56 or against the right and left field fences provided by the side piece 23, 23 is a double. All other hits are singles. As far'as advancing men already on base is concerned, an infield single advances all runners one base, while an outfield single advances all runners two bases. A double or a triple scores all of the base runners. An infield out advances all runners, not in a position to be forced, one base.

Of course the game device is not limited to use with the particular set of rules set forth above, and various other rules for conductingthe game-may be adopted.

Bat Swinging Mechanism One of the more important features of this invention is the batting mechanism 30 whereby the player representing the batter may vary the height of the bat member and the timing and speed of the swing in an efiort to meet the pitchers delivery. The details of the illustrated batting mechanism are shown best by FIGS. 3, and 6. Referring to these figures it will be noted that the mechanism 30 includes a vertical tubular member 62 which extends above and below the panel and is supported relative thereto for rotation about its central axis. Actually, the member 62 is, as shown in FIG. 5, composed of two separate parts 64 and 66. The lower part 64 is of a smaller diameter than of the part 66 and extends through the panel 20 as shown. The part 66 at its lower end is telescoped over the upper end of the part 64 and is angularly and axially fixed to the part 66 by a clamp 68. By I loosening the clamp 68 theupper part 66 may be rotated relative to the lower part 64 to bring the bat member into any desired position for a fixed position of the crank 32.

A bat member 70 is secured to the upper part 66 and supported for pivotal movement about a horizontal axis by a clamp member 72 which surrounds the part 66 and supports a pin 74 which passes through a corresponding opening in the bat member 70. The brat member 70 has a batting portion 76 which extends outwardly from'the pin 74 and an inboard portion 78 which extends inwardly through a longitudinal slot 80 in the part 66 andinto .the bore of the latter part. Slidably received by the bore 7 of the tubular member 62 is a rod 82 which is connected at its upper end with the inboard portion 78 of the batting member so that upward mot-ion of the rod lowers the batting portion 76 while downard motion of the rod raises the batting portion 76.

Rotation of the tubular member 62 to cause a swinging motion of the bat memberis obtained by a bevel gear 84- fixed to the lower part '64 as shown in FIG. 5. This gear 84 intermeshes with another bevel gear 86 fixed to the inboard end of a shaft 88. The shaft 88 is rotatively supported-from the panel 20, as by a bracket 99, and at its outer end extends beyond the edge of the panel 20 and the side wall 22. This latter end of the shaft is in turn fitted with the crank handle 32 by means of which the player may rotate the shaft 88 to cause swinging motion of the bat member 70. Thus by manipulating the handle 32 the player may control both the timing and the speed of the swing of the bat member.

The height of the batting member 7 0 is manually controlled by the lever 34. As shown in FIG. 6, the lever 34 is pivotally secured at its inner end to a block 92,

which block is in turn secured to the panel 20. Inter- 7 served that the player representing the batter may increase the height of the bat member by lowering the lever 34 or decrease its height by raising the lever 34.

Ball Pitching Mechanism 7 The ball pitching mechanism by means of which the player representing the pitcher may vary the delivery of the ball comprises another important feature of the baseball game device. The details of this mechanism are best shown in FIGS. 7 to 11. Referring to FIG. 7, and as already mentioned, the pitching mechanism includes an inclined chute 36 and a pair of guides 38, 38 at the lower end of the chute so positioned as to form a continuation thereof. The chute 36 in the illustrated case is made from wood and on its upper face includes a V shaped groove 98, as shown in FIG. 3, for guiding a ball rolled down its length. As shown in FIG. 7 the lower end of the chute 36 is supported by a block fastened to the panel 21 while the upper end is supported by a wire brace 102 which passes through a transverse opening in the chutewand includes two legs which are received by corresponding openings in the panel 20. The block 100 and the wire brace 102 support'the chute 36 in a fixed position relative to the panel 20'.

As shown in FIG. 7, each guide 38 comprises a piece of bent wire and is fastened at its rearward end to the panel 20, as by a screw 184. From the screw 104 the guide is bent upwardly to a position adjacent the lower end of the chute 36 and is then bent forwardly so as to form in effect a continuation of the chute. Also as shown in FIG. 7 each guide 38 forwardly of the chute 36 is curved along its length so that the forward end of the guide is inclined slightly upwardly. At its forward end each guide member is bent downwardly and passes through an opening in the panel 20. Below the panel the guide is connected with the forward end of a respective one of the control levers 40, 40.

The control levers 40, 40 are supported from and beneath the panel 20 by a support means best shown in FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 8, it will be noted that each control lever 40 is pivotally connected intermediate its ends by a bolt 1% to a block 108. The block 188 is in turn pivotally supported by two pins 110, "110' between the arms of a U-shaped member 112. The latter member 112 is in turn fastened by suitable means to the under surface of panel 20. 'Forwardly of the member 112, one of the levers 40 has attached thereto two guide pieces 114, 114 which serve to slidably receive the other guide lever 40 and hold the two levers in the same plane. As will be noted, the two levers 4t), 40 are arranged substantially parallel to each other and are sufficiently close together 'so that the rear ends thereof, which extend through the opening 48, may be grasped and manipulated by one hand of the player representing the pitcher.

The support means described above for the levers 40, 40 allows the player representing the pitcher to move the ball guides 38, 38 in various difierent manners in order to vary the delivery of a ball passing thereover. By pressing down or up on the rear ends of both of the levers 40, 40 the player may raise or lower the forward end of the guides 38, 38 to accordingly raise or lower the height of a ball delivered therefrom. This raising or lowering motion of the forward ends of the guides 38, 38 is accompanied by a pivoting motion of 'the block 108 about the axis of the pins 110,-1'10.

The direction of a ball delivered from the guides 38, 38 maybe varied by moving both of the control levers 40, 40 simultaneously to the right or to the left about the axes of the bolts 106, 186. The effect of this is shown by FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG. 9 shows the normal disposition of the guides 38, 38 when no control movements are app-lied to the levers 48, 40. FIG. 10, on the other hand, shows the disposition of the guides 38, 38 when moved by the control levers 40, 40 the maximum distance to the right or to the left, the solid lines showing the maximum displacement in one direction and the broken lines showing the maximum displacement in the opposite direction. From this it will be obvious that this movement of the guides 38, 38 will change the direction in which the ball approaches the batting mechanism.

The delivery of the ball may also be varied by squeezing together or spreading apart the rear ends of the control levers 40, 40. Squeezing together the rear ends of the levers 40, 4G spreads apart the forward ends thereof and accordingly spreads apart the forward ends of the guides 38, 38, as shown by the solid lines of FIG. 11. This spreading apart of the guides 38, 38 has two effects. First, it slows down the delivery of the ball. Second, it also lowers the'height of the ball. Normally, the upward inclination of the forward ends of the guides 38, 38 causes a ball leaving the guide to travel in an upwardly inclined path for some distance after leaving the guides. Spreading the guides apart, however, has the efiect of decreasing the upward inclination of the forward ends of the guides so that the angle between the path of the ball and the panel 20 as the ball leaves the guides 38, 38 is substantiallyreduced. That is, by spreading apart the guides 38, 38, the ball may be made to travel in a straight or downwardly inclined path over the home plate area instead of traveling in its otherwise upwardly inclined path. Spreading apart the rear end portions of the levers 40, 40 has the opposite effect of moving tothe control lever 138, as shown.

gether the forward ends of the guides 38, 38 as shown by the broken lines of FIG. 11. When the guides are so moved together the speed of a ball delivered therefrom is increased and the effect of the upward inclination of the guides is also increased so that the ball travels a more steeply rising path as it passes over the home plate area.

As mentioned previously, the speed of the ball may also be varied by starting the ball at difierent positions along the length of the chute 36. I

Man-on-Base Indicators The structure of the man-on-base indicators may take various difierent forms; however, an exemplary construction is shown in 3 and 4 and will be described herein. FIG. 4 shows the first baseindicator, and from this figure it will be noted that the indicating member 58 comprises a cylindrical member such as a section of dowel fastened to the end of a bent wire lever 116. The lever 116 is bent to form a pivot joint with a bolt "118 supported by a block 120. The outer end of the lever 1 16 extends beyond the edge of the panel 20 and through an opening in the side piece 22 and it is fitted with a handle 60 for convenient manipulation by the player. Moving the handle 60 to the up position, as shown by the solid lines of FIG. 4, causes the indicating member 58 to be held in a loweredposition with respect to the panel 20. Moving the handle 60 to the lowered or broken line position of FIG. 4, however, causes the indicating member 58 to be raised above the upper surface of the panel 20, thereby indicating the presence of a base runner on first base.

The other two man-on-b ase indicators are substantially similar to that shown in FIG. 4 insofar as they consist of for manipulation by a player to raise or lower the indieating members. Referring to FIG. 3 these other two levers are indicated at 122 and 124. The lever 122 is bent as shown in FIG. 3 to form an intermediate portion 126 disposed at right angles to the major portion of the lever. This portion 126 is in turn pivotally connected to the bottom surface of the panel 20 by suitable. means such as a number of pins 128, 128 and a member 130 which serves to hold the portion 126 against the lower surface of the panel 20. Likewise, the lever 124 includes a portion 132 which is pivotally supported from the panel 20 by a number of pins 134, 134 and a holding member 136.

Alternate Ball Pitching Mechanism FIGS. 13 and 14 show an alternate form of ball pitching mechanism which may be substituted for that shown in the preceding figures. Referring to FIG. 13, the alternate form of ball pitching mechanism includes. a control lever 138 positioned below the panel 20 and extending beyond the rear edge thereof through the opening 48 so as to be operable bythe Iplayer representing the pitcher. Pivotally connected to the forward end of the control lever 138 is a ball throwing arm 140 which extends upwardly through a slot 142 in the panel 28. At its upper end the arm 140 is recessed to provide a space for holding a ball 144. The lower end of the arm 140" extends beyond the pivot pin and has connected thereto a tension spring 146, which spring is connected at its other end to The solid lines of FIG. '13 show the throwing arm 140 in its cocked position at which the spring 146 is stretched beyond its normal length. The arm 140-is held in this position by a latch member 148 which is mounted on the lever 138 and which includes a pair of fingers that cooperate with a headed pin 150 carried by the arm 140'.

To release the-arm 140* the player representing the pitcher presses down on a trigger 152 pivotally connected to the rear end portion of the lever 138 \as shown in FIG. 13. This motion of the trigger 152 pulls rearwardly on a wire 154 whiohin turn pulls'the llatch member 148 from the pin 150. As soon as the throwing arm 140 is so released, the spring 146 pulls the arm toward the upright position shown by the broken lines of FIG. 13 and thereby causes the ball'144 to be thrown forwardly towards the batting mechanism. The forward motion of the throwing arm 140 is limited by a stop 1'56 carried by the lever 138.

As shown in FIG. 14, the lever 138 is pivotally supported from the panel 20 by a bolt 158 which is in turn carried by a spacer block 160. Thus by moving the rear end of the control lever 138 to the right or the left the direction of the ball delivery may be varied by the player representing the pitcher.

The invention claimed is:

1. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing'surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at ball-s passing over a given area of said panel; and a ball pitching device operable by another player for delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching device including a chute fixed relative to said panel and inclined downwardly toward said batting mechanism, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute, and means operable by said another player for moving the forward ends of said guides relative to said chute to control the direction of a ball passing therefrom and over said given area.

2. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at ball passing over a given area of said panel; and a ball pitching device I operable by another player for delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching device including a chute fixed relative to said panel and inclined downwardly toward said batting mechanism, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and means for moving the forward ends' of said guides relative to said chute and relative to each other to control the height and direction of a ball passing therefrom and over said given area.

- 3. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel; and a ball pitching device operable by another player for delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching device including a chute fixed relative to said panel and inclined downwardly toward said batting mechanism, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and means operable by said another player for moving the forward ends of said guides transversely relative to said chute and relative to each other whereby said guides may be spread apart or moved together to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom and moved angularly relative to said chute to control the direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

4. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel; and a ball pitching device operable by another player for delivering balls over said given 8 forward ends, and two levers positioned beneath said panel each of which levers is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends relative to said panel for movement in a substantially horizontal plane and includes a rear portion extending beyond said panel for manipulation by said another player, said two levers being respectively connected at their forward ends with the forward ends of said guides so that by moving said levers about their pivot axes said guides may be spread apart 101' moved together to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom and may be moved angularly relative to said chute to control the direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

5. A game device as defined in claim 4 further characterized by means pivotally mounting said two levers for simultaneous movement about a horizontal axis so that the forward ends of said guides may be raised and lowered to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom by moving the rear ends of said levers simultaneously down or up, respectively, with respect to said panel.

6. A game device as described in claim 4 further characterized by said two levers being arranged generally parallel to one another and spaced sufiiciently close together that both of, the rear end portions thereof may be grasped and moved by one band.

7. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel, said mechanism including a swingable bat member and means operable by said player for controlling the height of said hat member and the speed of its swing; and a ball pitching device operable by another player for, delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching device including a chute fixed relative to said panel and inclined downwardly toward said batting mechanism, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and means for moving the forward ends of said guides relative to said chute and relative to each other to control the height and direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

8. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device, said pitching mechanism comprising a horizontal supporting panel, a downwardly inclined chute fixed relative to said panel, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of. said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and two levers each of which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends relative to said panel for movement in a substantially horizontal plane and includes a rear portion adapted for manipulation by a player, said two levers being respectively connected at their forward ends with the forward ends of said guides so that by moving said levers about their pivot axes said guides may be spread apart or moved together to control the height of aball delivered therefrom and may be moved angularly relative to said chute to control the direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

9. A ball pitching mechanism as defined in claim 8 further characterized by means pivotally mounting said two levers for simultaneous movement about a horizontal axis so that the forward ends of said guides may be raised and lowered to control the height \of a ball delivered therefrom by moving the rear ends of said'levers simul taneously down or up, respectively, with respect to said panel.

10. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel, said batting mechanism corn prising a tubular member extending vertically through said panel and supported tfor rotation about its central axis, a bat member pivotallly secured to said tubular member for movement about a horizontal axis relative to said tubular member and including a batting portion extending generally outwardly from said "pivot axis and an inboard portion extending into the bore of said tubular member, a rod slidably received by the bore of said tubular member and connected with said inboard end portion of said b'at member, means including a manually operable part for moving said rod up or down relative to said tubular member to lower or raise the batting portion of said bat member, and means including another manually operable part for rotating said tubular member to cause a swinging motion of saidbatting portion of said bat member relative to said panel; and a ball pitching device operable by another player for delivering balls over saidgiven area, said ball pitching device including a downwardly inclined chute ,fixed relative to said panel, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned :at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guides being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and two levers each of which is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends relative to said panelior movement in a substantially horizontal plane -an-d.incl-ndes arear portion adapted for manipulation by a player, said two levers being respectively connected at their forward .ends with the forward ends of said guides so that by moving said.

levers about their pivot axes said guides may be spread apart or moved together to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom andmay be moved angulanly rel tive to said chute to control the direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

11. A game device as defined in claim further .characterized by said pitching mechanism including means pivotallly mounting said two levers for simultaneous movement about a horizontal 'axis so that the forward .ends of said guides may be raised and lowered to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom-by moving the rear ends of said levers simultaneously down or up, respectively, with respect to said'panel.

12. A ball pitching mechanism for-use in a game device, said pitching mechanism comprising a horizontal supporting panel, a pair of transversely spaced guides located above said supporting. panel and restrained atthe'ir rear ends against any transverse movements relative to each other, means for deli'veringla ball to the rear ends of said guides with some degree of forward motion so that after leaving said means the ball moves forwardly along said guides as a result of its momentum, and means connected with the forward ends of said guide-s and operable by a player for moving said forward ends of said guides transversely relative to each other and transversely relative to said panel to control the flight of the ball relative to said panel after it leaves said forward ends ,of said guides.

13. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device,

said pitching mechanism comprising a pair of transversely spaced and generally horizontal guides arranged to support a ball placedthereon so that the ball may roll along the length thereof, means for restraining the rear ends of said guides against any transverse movements relative to each other, means for delivering a ball to the rear ends of said guides with some degree of forward motion so that after leaving said means said ball moves forwardly along said guides as a result of its momentum, and means connected with the forward ends of said guides and operated by a player for moving said forward ends of said guides transversely relative to each other to control the flight of the ball after it leaves said forward ends of said guides.

14. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device, said pitching mechanism comprising a pair of transversely spaced and generally horizontal guides arranged to support a ball placed thereon so that the ball may roll along the length thereof, means for restraining the rear ends of said guides against any transverse movements relative to said pitching mechanism comprising a pair of transversely said guides with some degree of forward motion so that after leaving said means said ball moves forwardly along said guides as a result of its momentum, and means connected with the forward ends of said guides and operable by a player for moving said forward ends of said guides transversely in the same direction relative to said rear ends to control the direction of the flight of the ball after it leaves the forward ends of said guides.

15. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device,

spaced and generally horizontal guides arranged to support'a ball placed thereon so that the ball may roll along the length thereof, means for restraining the rear ends of said guides against any transverse movements relative to each other, means for delivering a ball to the rear ends of said guides with some degree of forward motion so that after leaving said means said ball moves forwardly along said guides as a result of its momentum, and means connected with the forward ends of said guides, and operated by a player for moving said forward ends :of said guides vertically in the same direction relative tosaid rear ends to control the height of the ball relative to said rear ends as it leaves said forward ends of said guides.

16,. A ball pitching mechanism as defined in claim 15 further characterized by said guides being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward-ends.

17. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device,- said pitching mechanism comprising a pair of'transversely spaced and generally horizontal guide-s arranged to support a ball placed thereon so that the ball may roll along the length thereof, means for restraining the rear ends of said guides against any transverse movements relative to each other, means for delivering a ball to 'the rear ends of said guides with-some de ee of forward motion so that afterleaving said means said ball moves forwardly along said guides asa result of its momentum; and means connected with the forward ends of said guides and operated by a player for moving said forward ends of said guides transversely relative to each other, to spread apart or bring together said forward ends, and transversely in the same direction relative to said rear ends to control the direction of the flight of the ball after it leaves the for-ward ends of said guides.

18. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game device,

said pitching mechanism comprising a pair of transversely by a player for moving, said forward ends of said guides transversely relative to each other, to spread apart or bring together said forward en-dsto control the speed of the ball as it leaves said forward ends of said guides, transversely in the same direction relative to said rear ends to control the direction of the flight of the ball after it leaves the forward ends of said guides, and vertically in the same direction relative to said rear ends to control the height of the ball relative to said rear ends as it leaves said forward ends of said guides.

19. A ball pitching mechanism as defined in claim 18 further characterized by said guides being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends.

20. A ball pitching mechanism for use in a game de vice, said pitching mechanism comprising a horizontal supporting panel, a pair of transversely spaced guides located above said supporting panel and restrained at their rear ends against any transverse movements relative to each other, means for delivering a ball to the rear ends of said guides with some degree of forward motion so that after leaving said means the ball moves forwardly along said guides as a result of its momentum, and two levers positioned beneath said panel each of which levers is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends relative to said panel for movement in a substantially horizontal plane and'includes a rear portion extending beyond said panel for manipulation by a player, said two levels being respectively connected at their forward ends with the forward ends of said guides so that by moving said levers about their pivot axes said guides may be spread apart or moved together to control the height of the ball passing therefrom and may be moved angularly relative to said delivery means to control the direction of the flight of a ball after it leaves the forward ends of said guides.

21. A game device as defined in claim further characterized by means pivotally mounting said two levers for simultaneousmovement about a horizontal axis so that the forward ends of said guides may be raised and lowered to control the height of a ball delivered therefrom by moving the rear ends of said levers simultaneous- 1y down or up, respectively, with respect to said panel.

22. A game device as described in claim 2(l further characterized by said two levers being arranged generally parallel to one another and spaced sufiiciently close together that both of the rear end portions thereof may be grasped and moved by one hand.

23. A game device having a generally horizontal playing surface, a ball pitching device for delivering balls in flight over a given area of said playing surface, said device including means operable by a player for controlling the height and speed and direction of each ball delivered therefrom, and a batting mechanism located adjacent said givenarea, said mechanism including a swingable bat member and means operable by another player for controlling the height and swing of said bat member so said batting mechanism may meet the various different ball deliveries obtainable from said pitching device.

24. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel, said batting mechanism in- 12 ing motion of said batting portion of said bat member; and a ball pitching mechanism operable by another player for delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching mechanism comprising a chute fixed relative to said panel and inclined downwardly toward said batting mechanism, a pair of transversely spaced guides positioned at the lower end of said chute so as to form a continuation thereof, said guide being fixed at their rear ends relative to said chute and being curved along their lengths so as to be inclined upwardly at their forward ends, and means for moving the forward ends of said 'guides relative to each other to control the height and direction of a ball delivered therefrom.

25. A game device comprising a panel having a generally horizontal playing surface; a batting mechanism operable by one player for striking at balls passing over a given area of said panel, said batting mechanism including a tubular member extending vertically through said panel and supported for rotation about its central axis, a bat member pivotally secured to said tubular member for movement about a'horizontal pivot axis relative to said tubular member, said bat member including a batting portion extending generally outwardly from said pivot axis and an inboard portion which extends into the bore ofsaid tubular member, a rod slidably received by the bore of said tubular member and connected with said inboard portion of said bat member, means including a manually operable part located beyond the edge of said panel for moving said rod up or down relative to said tubular member to lower or raise the batting portion of said bat member, and means including another manually operable part located beyond the edge of said panel for cluding a tubular member extending vertically through said panel and supported for rotation about its central axis, a bat member pivotally secured to said tubular member for movement about a horizontal pivot axis relative to said tubular member, said bat member including a batting portion extending generally outwardly from said pivot axis and an inboard portion which extends into the bore of said tubular member, a rod slidably received by the bore of said tubular member and connected with said inboard portion of said bat member, means including a manually operable pant located beyond the edge of said panel for moving said rod up or down relative to said tubular member to lower or raise the batting portion of said bat member, and means including another manually operable part located beyond the edge of said panel for rotating said tubular member tocause a swingrotating said tubular member to cause a swinging motion of said batting portion of said bat member; and a ball pitching mechanism operable by another player for delivering balls over said given area, said ball pitching mechanism comprising a lever positioned below said panel and support intermediate its ends for pivotal movement relative to said panel in a generally horizontal plane, a throwing arm pivotally connected to the forward end portion of said lever for movement between a normal and a cooked position and extending upwardly through said panel, .a spring for urging said throwing arm toward said normal position, and means operable by a player for releasably holding said throwing arm in said cocked position against the force of said spring.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 637,549 Engel et al. Nov. 21, 1899 702,415 Edwards June 17, 1902 861,843 Heitmann July 30, 1907 1,048,047 Curtis Dec. 24, .1912 1,571,726 Krug Feb. 2, 1926 1,792,448 Smellow Feb. 10, 1931 2,749,122 Barrett June 5, 1956 2,829,895 Moen Apr. 8, 1958 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Pa tent No. 3, 101 197 August 20, 1963 George A. Schulz It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 7, line 31, for "ball" read balls column 11, line 8, for "levels" read levers column 12, line 8, for "guide" read guides line 38 for "support" read supported Signed and sealed this 25th day of February 1964.

(SEAL) Attest:

ERNEST SWIDER EDWIN L. REYNOLDS Attesting Officer Ac ti ng Commissioner of Patents 

1. A GAME DEVICE COMPRISING A PANEL HAVING A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL PLAYING SURFACE; A BATTING MECHANISM OPERABLE BY ONE PLAYER FOR STRIKING AT BALLS PASSING OVER A GIVEN AREA OF SAID PANEL; AND A BALL PITCHING DEVICE OPERABLE BY ANOTHER PLAYER FOR DELIVERING BALLS OVER SAID GIVEN AREA, SAID BALL PITCHING DEVICE INCLUDING A CHUTE FIXED RELATIVE TO SAID PANEL AND INCLINED DOWNWARDLY TOWARD SAID BATTING MECHANISM, A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED GUIDES POSITIONED AT THE LOWER END OF SAID CHUTE SO AS TO FORM A CONTINUATION THEREOF, SAID GUIDES BEING FIXED AT THEIR REAR ENDS RELATIVE TO SAID CHUTE, AND MEANS OPERABLE BY SAID ANOTHER PLAYER FOR MOVING THE FORWARD ENDS OF SAID GUIDES RELATIVE TO SAID CHUTE TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF A BALL PASSING THEREFROM AND OVER SAID GIVEN AREA. 